Wednesday, July 10, 2013

The punch-less Yankees dropped another game in the AL East
standings Tuesday night. A game that could have been won had the Yankees'
lineup been able to produce more than a single run in a 3-1 loss to the KC
Royals.

Royals' starter James Shields, aka "Big Game
James" has not had much success against the Yankees and struggled in the
early going. The Yankees had two on and none out, and the bases loaded and one
out and only scored one run. Shields and the pen then shut down the Yankees the
rest of the way. Monday night's 5-1 loss in the first game of the four game set
came after the Yankees had the bases loaded with no one out in the 9th and then
struck out three straight times. With all the pitchers they let off the hook
the Yankees should never take up fishing.

In Tuesday's piece, "Shortstop, Catchers and Pitchers,
Oh My, I wrote about the need for the Yankees to upgrade at catcher. Today I am
going to focus on the infield, particularly the corner position that has been
anything other than hot for the Yankees this season.

Third base has been a key position for the Yankees over the
years. Gil McDougald won the AL Rookie of the Year Award after he manned the
position in 1951. Graig Nettles won two World Series rings (1977-1978) against
the Los Angeles Dodgers, who will attest to Nettles' remarkable thievery with
his glove. Alex Rodriguez won two AL MVP Awards after his shift to New York and
a new position. The Yankees would not have won the 2009 World Series if not for
the player who should really be known as "Lightning-Rod".

A-Rod's second hip surgery knocked him out of play for the
first half of the 2013 season and a PED suspension could wipe out the second
half. Kevin Youkilis was signed to take his place, but played just 28 games
before he was lost to season ending back surgery. The Yankees replacements have
contributed decent defense, but the offense has been anemic.

David Adams, Alberto Gonzalez, Jayson Nix, Chris Nelson, and
Luis Cruiz have combined to go 53-247 (.215) with 2 HR (both by Adams) and 18
RBI when they played third base. Only Nix (.620) has an OPS above .600 at third
and that number is nothing to write home (or text) about. The combination of
poor hitting veterans and rookies is not enough with the uncertainty surrounding
A-Rod's future. The Yankees need to get themselves a third baseman.

Just as is the case with catchers, the Yankees don't have
anyone at the minor league level to play in the Majors right now. Ronnier
Mustelier made a very good showing in Spring Training, but has missed large
chunks of time with knee and groin injuries.

So who might be available? And would the Yankees want them?

Michael Young: He's the first option for teams looking for a
utility guy or someone to specifically play either corner spot or second base.
(His days at shortstop are long behind him.) Young has bounced all around the
infield in his career until the Texas Rangers, who he spent 13 seasons with,
finally forced him out. The 36-year old looked like he might be finished after
he produced a sub-.600 OPS in May, but he's been above .800 the rest of the
season. He could also give Lyle Overbay a rest across the infield now and then.

With one of the two wild card positions still in their
sites, the Phillies are reportedly hesitant to move the pending free agent at
this time. That could change as the trade deadline nears.

Aramis Ramirez: The 35-year old has hit less than 20 home
runs just once since 2003 and averaged 26 home runs and 93 RBI over the last
three seasons. So much for the good news; Ramirez was placed on the disabled
list on Tuesday for the third time this season with a bad left knee. He is also
guaranteed $16MM next year and has a $14MM mutual option/$4MM buyout for 2015.
Fuh-geddabout it.

Ty Wigginton: Like Young, Wigginton is more of a utility
player at this point of his career rather than a player who is settled in at
one position. He's also unemployed after being released by the St. Louis
Cardinals. The Cardinals owe him the remainder of the $2.5MM he's making this
season plus another $2.5MM he is due in 2014. The Yankees could sign him for a
minimal amount this season (The amount would be subtracted from the Cardinals'
debt), but should they? Wigginton had a
sub-.500 OPS and 34 of his 57 at-bats came as a pinch-hitter. If they're
interested the Yankees would be better off signing him to a minor league deal
with a deadline date where he can asked to be released if he is not called up.
That way he can get some regular at-bats before facing Major League pitching. With
all that said, I would pass on him.

Mark Reynolds: Mash or miss, that's been Reynolds unwritten
motto since his debut in 2007. He's currently on a one year deal with the
Cleveland Indians for $6MM and has split time between first and third. He might
be available even though the Tribe is in the thick of the AL Central race,
because he hasn't produced on a consistent basis. Reynolds has homered in 4.3%
of his at-bats, the second lowest percentage since his rookie season. His .700
OPS is the lowest of his career as is his .392 slugging pct. Oh, and he's a
butcher defensively at third base.

Wait, the idea was to find a player that would fit. There's
the problem. There isn't a whole lot to choose from.

Chase Headley: He became a household name last year and
since that time Yankees fans have been calling into radio shows to say the
Yankees should go after him. Those fans haven't bothered to notice what Headley
is doing this season nor have they taken a look at what he did before last
season. Headley's 2012 campaign produced career highs in almost every offensive
category.

He had never hit more than 12 home runs or driven in more
than 58 runs in a season until he put up 31 and an NL leading 115 last year.
2012 was the first season Headley had an OPS over .800 as well. Headley has
come crashing back to earth in 2013. He has just 7 HR and 29 RBI in 77 games
and is sporting a career worst .681 OPS. More importantly why would the Padres
deal him now? 1) He has no trade value at the moment. 2) The Padres had been
trying to give Headley an extension until he asked them to stop negotiations in
May, because he felt it was a distraction. So it appears they would like to
keep him.

Chris Johnson: The Atlanta Braves 28-year old has provided
the NL East leaders with some big at-bats this season. Johnson is with his
third team in three seasons, but has a slash line of .332/.375/.480 in 269
plate appearances this year. As an added bonus, he's not eligible for free
agency until 2017. Since he has been a key contributor it is possible Atlanta
has no plans to move him, but perhaps the Braves would like to add some depth
to their bullpen with a guy named Joba Chamberlain. Throw in a mid-level
prospect too or perhaps they would like to take a chance on one time prospect
Fernando Martinez.

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About Me

AKA Mantlemurcer (MM). I'm Married to Mrs. MM, who is also my editor/proofreader and biggest fan. I became a Yankees fan in the late 1960's and attended my 1st game at Yankee Stadium in 1970. I hope to bring you a unique perspective about the Yankees, past, present, and future.